A woman has been arrested in central London after four men were stabbed at “random” in what police said was an “isolated, mental health” related attack.
The attack happened at lunchtime in Covent Garden, the capital’s busy tourist area filled with bars, theatres and restaurants.
Two men are being treated in hospital for injuries which are not life-threatening or life-changing and the other two have been discharged.
The 47-year-old woman is in custody after being arrested on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon, believed to be a pair of scissors, and assault.
A restaurant manager said a woman “started stabbing random people” on a busy road in Covent Garden.
Arjan Gjorga, who manages a fish and chip shop in Endell Street, said the victims were “random people who were just walking by”.
Mr Gjorga, 48, told the Press Association: “She just started stabbing random people. I didn’t see any scissors, but I heard it was with small scissors.
“We saw this lady after a few minutes being arrested – the police responded immediately.”
Another witness described the woman who was arrested as homeless, adding that she was regularly seen in Endell Street and the surrounding area.
Matt Bishop, 42, who works at a consultancy firm next to the cordon in Covent Garden, said he had seen a woman having a “stand-off” with three police officers and waving a weapon around.
He said: “I didn’t see the stabbing. I saw her running down the road towards the crossroads. She looked quite old, short hair.
“There was a bit of a stand-off with three police officers.
“She didn’t seem to be particularly coherent. She was pretty incoherent in what she was shouting, the officer was asking what language she was shouting.”
Another witness said the stabbing happened outside the Shaftesbury Theatre before the woman made her way down Endell Street.
The witness, who wanted to remain anonymous, said: “We noticed she stabbed three people with scissors by the theatre then she came down here and the police were here.”
A spokesman for St Mungo’s homeless charity, which works in the Endell Street area, said: “Our thoughts are with everyone who has been affected by this distressing incident.
“We are working closely with emergency services to ensure that all of the people we support, in addition to our colleagues, are safe and accounted for.”
A large police cordon was put up from High Holborn to the St Mungo’s homeless centre in Endell Street, where officers were speaking to people before they entered the building.
An air ambulance helicopter landed in a packed Trafalgar Square but London Ambulance Service, which was called out at 12.29pm, later said it had “treated four patients at the scene and took them all to a major trauma centre as a priority by road”.
Restaurants near the cordon towards Long Acre continued their business.
Chief Superintendent Jason Stewart, who leads policing in the area, said: “Officers responded within minutes of this incident after receiving a number of reports.
“While still at an early stage of the investigation, we would like to reassure the community that we currently believe this to be an isolated, mental-health related incident.”
The injured men were aged 34, 39, 42 and 52.
